Audio of Harmony Montgomery’s custody hearing can be released, court says

The highest court in Massachusetts ruled Wednesday that audio recordings can be published from the custody hearing of a -year-old New Hampshire girl who vanished in after being placed in her father s care The girl s father Adam Montgomery was located guilty in her death last year and sentenced to years in prison on murder and other charges Police believe Harmony Montgomery was killed nearly two years before she was shared missing in Her body was never ascertained An independent review in uncovered the Massachusetts child protection system failed to prioritize the girl s requirements Harmony Montgomery suffered from a ripple effect of miscalculations of peril and unequal weight placed on parents rights versus a child s wellbeing mentioned Maria Mossaides head of Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate Harmony Montgomery wasn t made a priority in her own legal incident the overview announced with neither the judge nor the attorneys putting her curative behavioral and educational demands or safety at the forefront of custody discussions The record also announced they did not enforce requirements that govern the placement of children from one state into another A filmmaker with the advocacy of several media outlets including The Associated Press sued to gain access to recordings of the closed-door custody hearing to better understand how Adam Montgomery got custody of his daughter despite having a long criminal record Normally family court hearings are sealed due to privacy concerns